Australasian Timber Magazine - February 2020

February 2020

MANUFACTURE • TECHNOLOGY • DESIGN • CONSTRUCTION

SEED HOUSE

Building the extraordinary

PREFAB PIONEER

Industry legend retires

TINY HOUSE

Big ideas, small result

Incorporating Australian and New Zealand Timberman – Established 1977.

Innovation in timber engineering www.hundegger.de

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NEWS

■■ Campaign committee members at launch dinner – left to right: Christine Briggs, AKD; Arthur Potter, FTMA Board; Gavin Matthew, AFPA; Marita Pierce-Indugula,

Timberlink & Campaign Chair.

Fresh campaign to steer builders towards timber frames A

S devastating bushfires impact regional Australia, a new timber industry campaign’s key message is timely – Frame with Timber, Renew our Future. The campaign was launched late 2019.

The thinking behind ’Renew our Future’ is that timber stores carbon forming an important part of the climate solution for Australia. Its significant, with almost 2 million m3 of renewable plantation structural pine used in Australian buildings each year that’s an annual storage bank of 500,000 tonnes which is stored for the life of the timber each and every year.

Most of this renewable timber is grown and manufac-

tured in regional Australia, so the benefits of timber framing also link back to the ongoing viability of many regional communities and many of those that were directly impacted by the recent fires.

As we look to learn from the recent catastrophic bushfires, there is rarely one silver bullet solution but the simple benefit of ensuring timber framing is used in the construction of Australian homes ongoing

seems obvious, especially when most new homes each year (over 80%) are currently built with a timber frame.

Sourced renewably, whether local or imported, the structural frame material decision is one of those hidden choices that this new campaign aims to make more conscious.

“Supporting our channel customers to get the key messages out about the benefits of timber framing is one of the key objectives of the new campaign”, said Campaign Committee Chair, Ms Marita PierceIndugula.

The key message is that with timber framing there is no compromise on build design flexibility or cost, and there are solutions for termites and

fire risks which building regulations address. A big point of positive difference for timber framing is that timber stores carbon and has low embodied energy compared to alternative building materials, so is part of our climate solution.

The new campaign is largely targeted to builders via digital mediums who are the main decision makers and influencers in terms of the material choice today. However, the campaign has also developed some messaging for homeowners as there is a growing interest in “what’s holding up my home?” both in terms of safety and environmental concerns.

Results to date have over 3 million views of the messaging through various on-line

mediums with a healthy click through rate to the campaign website, including viewing of the builder testimonial videos.

The campaign will run in two stages with the next stage including outdoor advertising in key locations.

Founding funding companies for the industry campaign are AKD, Boral, Timberlink, One Forty One, Wespine and Wesbeam. Additional sponsorship support is available to underpin further campaign activities.

Industry participants can access the campaign marketing assets at www.woodsolutions. com.au/framing once registered and start using these assets in their own marketing and promotional activities.

Innovation driving new technology and solutions MORE than 250 exhibitors are expected to take part in ARBS 2020 in May, a conference aimed at HVAC&R and building service professionals.

The event takes place in Melbourne Convention from 19-21 May and will feature a special area within the exhibition space showing off the latest intelligent building technologies.

Dexus head of smart building technology delivery Jon Clarke says that

www.timberbiz.com.au

innovation is driving the development of new products and solutions for digitised buildings with key systems working through greater integration and connectivity.

“This technology will have a major impact in the coming years and is changing how buildings are constructed and managed,’’ Mr Clarke said.

He sees collaboration as critical for success and progress in the sector.

ARBS exhibition manager Sue Falcke said that most exhibitors had been supporting ARBS since its inception in 1998, largely because they know ARBS presents a fantastic opportunity to communicate to the industry and their customers. Exhibitors within IBTech@ARBS embrace this mindset and as a result we are expecting to see some fantastic cutting-edge displays and presentations.”

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER February 2020

The feedback from previous exhibitors has also been very positive.

Conserve It general manager Chirayu Shah says that they enjoyed meaningful conversations, good connections and some good solid leads from attending the event, while IOTechnic managing director Jim Henry says: “We are in the right place, at the right event, with the right people walking around.”

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NEWS Fires to impact everything from forestry to furniture

australasian

February 2020 Issue 1 Vol. 28 Incorporating Australian and New Zealand Timberman – Established 1977.

News 3-5 Timber Design Awards winner 8 Associations 18-22 Woodchat 23 What’s On 23 Front Cover: The interior of the Seed House which won the Excellence in Timber Design award at last year’s Timber Design Awards.

Publisher and Chief Executive: Hartley Higgins General Manager: Robyn Haworth Editor: Bruce Mitchell b.mitchelll@ryanmediapl.com.au Adelaide Office (08) 8369 9512 Advertising: Gavin de Almeida g.dealmeida@ryanmediapl.com.au Adelaide Office (08) 8369 9517 Production: Peter Frezzini & NEM Creative Timber classifieds: g.dealmeida@ryanmediapl.com.au Adelaide Office (08) 8369 9517 Subscriptions: subs@forestsandtimber.com.au Adelaide Office (08) 8369 9522 Subcription rates One-year (8 editions) $55 Two-years (16 editions) $95 Accounts: Adelaide Office (08) 8369 9555 Postal Address: 630 Regency Road, Broadview South Australia 5083 Phone: (08) 8369 9555 Fax: (08) 8369 9501 Melbourne Office: Suite 2262, 442 Auburn Rd, Hawthorn VIC 3122 Phone: (03) 9810 3262 Website www.timberbiz.com.au Printed by Lane Print, Adelaide, SA

Conditions

The opinions expressed in Australasian Timber Magazine are not necessarily the opinions of or endorsed by the editor or publisher unless otherwise stated.

All articles submitted for publication become the property of the publisher. All material in Australasian Timber Magazine copyright 2020 © Ryan Media. All rights reserved. No part may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means (graphic, electronic, or mechanical including information and retrieval systems) without written permission of the publisher. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information, the publisher will not accept responsibility for errors or omissions, or for any consequences arising from reliance on information published.

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The fires that swept South Eastern Australia in December and January have had an obvious immediate impact in terms of destruction and loss of life.

But they will also have much longer impacts on the construction industry, from houses to commercial buildings and on to furniture.

The industry across the board is united in its response to addressing the fires, both in native forests and plantations and the Frame & Truss Manufacturers Association has quite rightly pointed out that it is important that there are no knee jerk reactions to the disaster.

The damage will almost certainly bring the supply of native timber to a complete halt for some time, bringing disruption to the domestic construction industry which relies on this superior stock for flooring, furniture and other building materials.

The sector and broader community may be forced to rely on foreign imports

australasian

to supply native timber, at a lesser quality and no doubt at a peak price. These are countries which don’t have the same strict world best practice harvesting controls which we have become globally recognised for.

Sadly, the FTMA has already warned that ‘other’ product suppliers are trying to use this disaster as a way to undermine the timber frame and truss market.

And the Australian Timber Importers Federation has said that it is the medium and longer-term prospects of domestic supply that are likely to be diminished.

It is important that the industry work together and plan ahead to ensure we do not struggle with a timber shortage.

This edition warmly welcomes the MGA

TMA Timber Merchants Australia and its CEO Jos de Bruin, and the Timber Trade Industrial Association through its CEO Brian Beecroft to the Associations pages in Australasian Timber. They join the Timber Trade Industrial Association, the Timber Veneer Association of Australia and the Frame & Truss Manufacturers Association in bringing you the latest in industry thoughts and activities, and through them Australasian Timber will also bring you their stories, activities and personalities.

And readers will have already noticed a major change in our Daily Timber News newsletter which is now being delivered to your inbox three days each week - Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

The content will also be expanding with more international stories, more on equipment releases for both forests and timber manufacturing, more analysis on monthly building statistics and more from the world of training and education.

Euro power group wants policy makers to explore timber

A

influential group representing European timber interests wants European policy makers to explore the full potential of the woodworking industry.

The group - Club du Bois - represents the European Confederation of Woodworking Industries (CEI-Bois), the European Organisation of the Sawmill Industry (EOS) and the European Panel Federation (EPF).

The group says that the woodworking industry lies at the heart of the circular bioeconomy providing a sustainable and carbon neutral product to be used in the construction sector and as everyday material.

It says that by using wood, legally harvested from sustainably managed forests, Europe can achieve several of the objectives presented in the recently adopted The European Green Deal and become the world’s first climate neutral continent by 2050.

At a Club du Bois meeting in Brussels last month EPF chairman, Dr Paolo Fantoni highlighted the role that woodbased panels can play in the ¨renovation wave¨, reminding of their sustainability, resource efficiency and natural carbon storage properties.

He said panels were a model example of the Circular Economy thanks to the industry’s innovative approach of turning one industry’s waste into another sector’s product, with 40% of typical particleboard today coming from recovered (recycled) waste wood.

EPF is excited to work with universities and the EU instituN

■■ The question of raw material supply in Europe is seen as the most important issue affecting

the mechnical wood industry.

tions to ensure that future generations are trained and skilled in working with wood. Given their proprieties and characteristics, wood-based panels are model examples of both the Circular Economy and the Green Deal. ¨Panels can break the old model of economic progress or environmental protection. Instead we can offer new industrial growth with environmental benefits¨ Dr Fantoni said.

EOS chairman Mr Sampsa Auvinen described the raw material supply question as the most important issue affecting the development of the primary mechanical wood industry.

He said securing raw material supply at affordable prices and in a predictable way was a key factor to maintain competitiveness of the European sawmill industry.

Mr Auvinen called for an EU

resource management system aiming to establish a harmonised knowledge-based information on European forests resources, material flows and stock.

The system should also take into consideration frequency of natural disturbances and the impact on wood supply.

Mr Auvinen recalled the central role of the European sawmill industry in the forest industry: making up two thirds of the forest owners’ incomes, the sawmill industry plays a key role in motivating forest owners to sustainably manage their forests and supply wood raw material to the forest industry. ¨A healthy sawmill industry is thus vital for the forest industry and the forest-based industries alike¨ he said.

CEI-Bois director Mr Keith Fryer presented the Europe-

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER February 2020

an Woodworking Industries’ manifesto for the EU term 2019-2024, which illustrates how the European Woodworking Industry can help the EU to reach its key goals, such as the reduction of GHG emissions in line with the Paris Agreement and the deployment of an EU circular Bioeconomy, while ensuring jobs creation and employment stability. ¨The European Woodworking sector sits at the heart of the European circular Bioeconomy and is a key driver for jobs and growth¨ Mr Fryer said.

The manifesto focuses on six priorities - Wood Availability and Sustainability, Circular Bioeconomy, Competitiveness of Wood in Construction, Free but Fair Trade, Research & Innovation and Industrial Relations & Social Affairs - and gives an overview of the potential and needs of the sector. www.timberbiz.com.au

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building figures

Confidence in new construction Government urged to keep supply lines open S TRONG

house

price

expectations over the next 12 months have offset modest confidence in the economy to deliver an improved outlook for the property industry according to the ANZ / Property Council Survey for the March 2020 quarter.

National property industry confidence levels have increased by five index points from the previous survey to 123. This is slightly above the average for 2019 of 121 index points, and three index points below the survey historical average. A score above 100 index points indicates net positive sentiment among survey respondents.

Ken Morrison, Chief Executive of the Property Council of Australia said: “Housing construction is one of the big engines of the Australian economy, so it’s encouraging news that industry sentiment has strengthened, but it also heralds a renewed challenge for policy-makers on housing affordability.

“Strong house prices help underpin confidence and activity, but without matching housing supply, this can lead to runaway price increases and real housing affordability pressure.

“Coming off the back off a sustained drop in new housing approvals and construction starts, we must be vigilant to ensure housing supply keeps up with demand, including population growth, as the residential market reboots.

“Governments must be on the front foot in keeping the housing supply lines open and support affordability through better planning and infrastructure delivery.

“It will be important for all levels of government to keep their focus on these challenges in the months ahead, on top of the huge job of helping our bushfire-affected communities recover and rebuild,” Mr Morrison said.

The ANZ/Property Council has proven to be an accurate

6

indicator of housing prices since its inception, as reflected in the chart below which compares the outlook tracked in the ANZ/Property Council and ABS dwelling prices since 2011.

ANZ Senior Economist, Felicity Emmett, commented: “Signs of recovery in the residential property market have been emerging for some time, with sentiment turning around convincingly in May. Since then, auction clearance rates have picked up sharply, prices have been rising strongly in Sydney and Melbourne and housing finance is starting to pick up.

“The improvement in the residential property market seems set to continue. The results of the latest survey show that the strong improvement in sentiment about residential property has extended into the current quarter. The continued improvement in credit availability suggests that the outlook for construction activity, not just prices, should begin to pick up in coming months – initially though a stabilisation and then up-tick in building approvals. Prices are benefitting from a combination of pent-up demand and low stock levels, but we think that the current strong monthly price gains will moderate in 2020 as more supply comes on stream and

credit policies stay relatively constrained.

“A pleasing aspect of the latest survey is the lift in sentiment toward commercial property. Recent weakness, albeit at a generally high level, had us concerned about a possible loss of momentum in the nonresidential sector. The recovery in sentiment in this survey suggests the recent weakness in non-residential building approvals might be short-lived.”

March 2020 quarter survey highlights Respondents from all states and territories surveyed expected residential capital values to improve over the next 12 months, with the national expectations index increasing by 17 to 35 index points for the March 2020 quarter.

This is well above the survey historical average score of 11 index points, and builds on the positive trend from the last quarter following five quarters of negative sentiment.

For the first time in 18 months, residential construction activity expectations have also moved back into positive territory.

Residential value expectations in Victoria are at an alltime high in the survey history and at their strongest levels in NSW since the December

2015 quarter, and in Queensland since March 2015 quarter.

Expectations have also rebounded in South Australia following a significant dip in the previous quarter.

On most other measures, including commercial property, overall industry sentiment remains positive for the March 2020 quarter.

Expectations for national forward work schedules and staffing levels remained strong.

Forward work schedule expectations rose by two points to a net balance of 36, while national staffing level expectations increased by one point to a net balance of 15.

The outlook for economic growth remains negative for the March 2020 quarter, although has improved from -14 to -7 points since the last quarter and has improved from -19 in the June 2019 quarter.

Confidence in the Federal Government’s role in delivering policies to stimulate jobs and growth is now at neutral, falling by six points for the quarter.

Most markets surveyed expected little change in their economic performance over the next 12 months, although South Australia returned into positive territory following a big slump in the last quarter prompted by concerns about

proposed changes to the state’s land tax regime.

Respondents from around the country expected another interest rate cut within the next 12 months, and also anticipated improvements in access to debt finance.

Expectations for office capital growth increased by 4 points over the quarter with sentiment strongest in Victoria followed by NSW, the ACT and Queensland.

Expectations for the industrial sector remained unchanged for the March 2020 quarter at 22 points with all markets reporting another quarter of positive sentiment.

However, retail capital growth expectations continue to be negative overall at -14 points despite a six point improvement for the quarter.

Retirement living capital growth expectations increased by a further 8 points to 31 points which is the highest positive sentiment score for all of the property sectors surveyed.

Expectations for hotel capital growth were positive in all markets except for WA; at 10 points nationally for the quarter.

Prime cap rates are expected to compress across all markets surveyed over the next 12 months with the exception of Queensland. Secondary cap rates are expected to ease across most markets.

Residential building industry can be optimistic New Home Sales is the latest among a string of indicators showing an improvement in housing market conditions, according to HIA Economist Diwa Hopkins The HIA New Home Sales report – a monthly survey of the largest volume home builders in the five largest states – is a leading indicator of future trends in the residential building industry.

“The residential building industry can be optimistic that activity will stabilise in 2020 after sustaining two years of fairly sharp decline,” Ms Hopkins said.

New home sales in the three months to November 2019 were 2.8 per cent higher than in the previous three months, but still 5.7 per cent lower than in the same period in 2018.

Ms Hopkins said the improvement in sales was occurring alongside increases in home lending and a return to growth in housing prices in the key Sydney and Melbourne markets.

“The withdrawal of APRA’s counter-cyclical regulatory interven-

tions, followed by a fresh round of cuts to the official interest rate were among measures which arrested previously-deteriorating market conditions,’’ she said.

“Add to that federal income tax cuts and then the government issuing its first tranche of first home loan deposit guarantees, and a growing number of households previously sitting on the margins of the housing market are finding they can now enter.

“This recovery in overall housing market conditions looks set to support demand for new homes, with building activity set to stabilise in 2020 before returning to growth further down the track.”

Across the country, private detached house sales in the three months to November 2019 were higher than in the previous three months in Western Australia (+14.4 per cent), Queensland (+2.0 per cent) and Victoria (+1.6 per cent). Detached house sales in New South Wales and South Australia declined over this period, by 0.5 per cent and 2.5 per cent, respectively.

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER February 2020

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timber design awards

■■ The living room in the award-winning Seed House and, below, the all-timber kitchen.

Challenging the normal to create the extraordinary Bruce Mitchell

EXCELLENCE IN TIMBER DESIGN

A

RCHITECT James Fitzpatrick grew up and trained in Tasmania where he formed a love of local timbers.

So when James – from Sydney’s fitzpatrick+partners started planning for his ideal home he included timber linings in Huon Pine, Blackwood and Celery Top Pine – the latter two being sourced from Hydrowood which recovers timber from Tasmania’s drowned forests.

Collecting the Tasmanian timber took ten years, while Hydrowood required ordering whole trees up to two years ahead in order to allow for drying and processing.

The result – the Seed House in Sydney’s Castlecrag overlooking Middle Harbour - is a project which took more than eight years, including a design period of three years (and more than 400 drawings) and a construction period of 2.5 years.

It was the overall winner of the prestigious Australian Timber Design Awards winning the Excellence in Timber Design award.

Seed House is a five-level development consisting of a part new build. Built predominantly in timber, the Cross Laminated Timber manufactured and processed by Xlam in New Zealand.

This includes structural frames and a boldly cantilevered volume forming one of the two main living spaces.

The CLT structure has ambitious cantilevers exposed internally, with hidden wall to floor connections located within all exposed CLT elements. A highly architecturally refined roof truss supports the kitchen with a top chord of composite CLT and steel. Large cantilevers and thin elegant structure is showcased through the building, 8

Structural Engineer: TTW Builder: David Campbell Building Fabricator: XLam

utilising hybrid structural steel components where possible.

Jane Armstrong who was with TTW, the engineers on the project, said the Seed House was “very much an engineered house’’.

She said TTW had worked a lot with wood and it was why James Fitzpatrick had approached them.

“He knew we had the background in working with CLT in particular,” Jane said.

“He very much wanted to approach this project with a ‘let’s push it to the absolute limits and boundaries’ attitude.

“He came to us with some pretty far out ideas and in some cases we had to pared that back but still tried to achieve the intent of what he was after.

“For example, we started up with a five metre cantilever and ended up with a 3.8 metre cantilever.’’

Jane said the timber stairs in particular produced some creative thinking.

“We had several workshops around how to keep that as a pivotal point in the house.

“He wanted that as a true timber stair to begin with but unfortunately due to the softness of the spiral and how exposed the whole timber stair was we couldn’t achieve the stiffness we wanted so unfortunately it does have a ‘secret weapon’.’’

The team investigated the design and concluded that the central timber “core” had to be reinforced by a hidden circular structural steel tube member. The impact on struc-

tural behaviour was investigated by comparing the response to loads for the cases of both, with and without the tube represented in the model.

Each tread was CNC machined and connected using hidden screw locations. Each tread was threaded over a central slim steel circular hollow section, creating the timber core through the centre of the stair.

And the hard part?

“That’s a challenging question,’’ Jane said.

“The cantilevering pods had virtually no lateral stability so that was definitely a challenge, and above the kitchen there is a floating roof with a very thin truss that we highly engineered with timber and steel working together.’’

The stability and robustness of the house relied almost entirely on the portal frames formed between the CLT floors and walls. The detailed joint analysis, investigated by the TTW Advance team, aided in estimating the joints’ strength capacity and stiffness. This was then fed back into the global analysis to assess the structure’s stability under gravity loads and drifts under wind loads.

The side walls wrapping the CLT cantilevered pods used both the longitudinal layer direction and the transverse layer direction, acting as very deep beams to cantilever off steel portal frames.

TTW’s engineers undertook vibration studies of the panels

Photographer: John Gollings Location: Castlecrag, NSW

to ensure the “bounciness’’ of the cantilevered edge was minimised.

CLT panels were created as a portal frame to stabilise the pod against lateral loads. The portal frame connection used a stiff steel angle and double fully-threaded screws.

“It doesn’t look complicated and that was James’ approach to everything; that is, it’s trying to marry the engineering with the architecture.

“He took on board a lot of our suggestions where we needed to introduce certain elements of steel. He’d look at concealing them, but where he couldn’t he would express them and we a lot of those brackets around the house.

“It’s a very complex house but done in a way which really re-

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER February 2020

spects the materials.

“It was incredibly challenging project. We were pushed to develop details and put a lot of R&D into the house (for solutions) which haven’t been used anywhere in the world.’’

In addition to winning the main prize, The Seed House also won Excellence in Timber Applications: Residential Class 1 – New Building.

Now in their 20th year, the Australian Timber Design Awards promote and encourage outstanding timber design.

They are open to builders, designers, architects, engineers and landscapers: to anyone involved in the design or building of structures that feature timber. A Rising Star Award is available to students and entrants aged 35 or under. www.timberbiz.com.au

profile

■■ Wil Crosariol at work in his early days in Sydney.

Prefab pioneer pulls the pin on a 50 year career in building W

IL Crosariol was a pioneer in the prefabricated timber industry in Sydney for more than 50 years.

He’s seen a lot, done a lot – and with his retirement, ‘goes a lot’ of hands-on experience.

Wil was born 50km from Venice, Northern Italy. His father made the then arduous boat trip, (it took on-average 4 weeks to travel from most European ports to Sydney), escaping a country still struggling to achieve economic and social stability in 1953 - to Australia, full of hope and dreams of a better life for his young family.

His mother followed the next year.

Australia was to benefit greatly from the influx of people not afraid of a hard day’s work and keen to assimilate.

There is a reason why Wil calls himself ‘Wil’ with one L. It’s because no-one could come to terms with his full name – Duilio - in the 70’s.

For anyone who has met or spoken to Wil – who recently retired as owner of ABC Frames & Trusses in Sydney - it is hard to separate the “character” from the “man”.

Tim Rossiter from MiTek in New South Wales has known Wil for more than 30 years and counts him as a friend.

“Wil probably has the most incredible work ethic I’ve ever seen,’’ Tim Rossiter said.

“He has been an ‘educator’ to hundreds of builders over the years and a great supporter of timber prefabrication.

“When he first started, prefabrication was the new kid on www.timberbiz.com.au

the block…literally; so, having people like Wil championing prefabrication was integral to the success it enjoys to this day.

The words pioneer and innovator are often used a bit loosely – but they definitely stick with Wil,’ Tim said.

Wil started as a carpenter in 1966 and in 1969 started the supply and install of conventional framing. Once this took off, he started a company in 1978 called Detailed Prefabrication Frame, located at Lansdowne Street, Guildford.

Sydney Roof Trusses was the next purchase and was sold as a package deal. 2 Years later, Will met Peter Norris, and after much deliberation, they came to the consensus of agreeing to a new business name ABC Trusses. The acronym of ABC stood for Australian Building Components and was based at Bearing Road, Seven Hills for 6 Years. The two companies then formed a merger and took on the name ABC Frames & Trusses, which is still a household name and located at our now current location of Anne Street, St Mary’s.

In the early 2000’s, the company decided to supply and install roll formed facias and gutters, unfortunately, in 2008 with the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) impacting worldwide markets, resulted in a tremendous slackening of sales, thus, resulting in the scaling back of the company’s assets to only the manufacturing of frames, trusses and floors which is still the predominant focus to this day.

Although, in its heyday ABC Frames & Trusses only had a

■■ Wil Crosariol with MiTek general manager Building Solutions

Asia Pacific Tim Rossiter.

few more than a dozen staff, it certainly left its mark on the Sydney landscape, handling some very complex and challenging projects over the years.

A Catholic Church in Horsley Drive, Fairfield - Our Lady of Victories, located in Horsley Park - is one such job Wil remembers fondly.

“It involved some oversized hardwood (W.A. Jarrah) trusses with half-scissor trusses, bolted together. Not your everyday treated pine and metal plate combination,’’ he said.

Another religious edifice - a Buddhist Temple with complex prefabricated domes - still gives Wil the odd sleepless night.

‘It’s those ‘special’ jobs that you remember most,’’ Wil said.

“I am proud of what the business has achieved.’’

Over the years Wil developed an uncompromising attitude to quality – if you’re going to

do something, you may as well do it properly (a legacy from his father). He also found it hard to ‘suffer fools’ - especially onsite.

“To say I could sometimes… ’become a little animated’ might be a bit of an understatement,” he said.

There were examples where things didn’t fare well with tradies.

“Some of them don’t listen – but the worst are the ones who can’t or won’t read the plans properly,’’ he said.

“You get called out - knowing we’ve made all our trusses to within a millimetre of perfection – and chippies swearing nothing goes together,’’ a still frustrated Wil said. “‘Back-in-the-day, builders and carpenters were more problem solvers than today.

They were more resourceful and, for most, took a lot more

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER February 2020

care in their craft. They were Artisans,’’ he said.

Wil sees great merit in initiatives such as MiTek’s Accredited Timber Truss Installer courses and TAFE for the next generation.

“Timber engineering has come a long way since the early days of Bostich…even GangNail,’’ he said.

“It’s important for trades to be up to speed with the latest development…and rule changes.’’

He is positive about the future for the industry.

“I think when you’ve got world-leading technology and resources behind you, success isn’t far away,’’ Wil said.

“I know they’ve changed their name a few times in the last 50 years but MiTek and their staff have been a huge help along the way. “count Tim and Shan Sudar (both from MiTek) as part of the family – great friends, very knowledgeable and always there to help. It made our business feel part of a bigger team, working together, with the same emphasis on quality and service.’

And what does retirement look like for a man known for his tremendous work ethic?

A holiday house in Gerringong holds fond memories, with the promise of more…the grandchildren more-than-likely to feature.

Less than two hours south of Sydney this coastal resort town saw many hours spent with Wil and his children, fishing and prawning.

“More of that would be good,’’ Wil said.

9

architecture

Wood is back as architecture goes beyond cement Wooden buildings are big carbon traps, and what the future needs GEORGE DODD

P

HYSICS says a skyscraper can be made of wood.

There are also some good reasons it should be. Handled properly wood can be the most ethical and sustainable building material there is. And no, fire isn’t a deal breaker.

Standing side-by-side in Sydney’s Barangaroo precinct are two new office buildings that are part of an international architectural revolution. What makes them unique in Australia and uncommon around the world is that they are commercial buildings made almost entirely out of wood. Walls, floors, ceilings, roof, lift shafts and stairwells, all made of wood.

The architect who has put hundreds of hours of his life into creating these buildings is Jonathan Evans.

“We were looking for a renewable material that could build our cities, not just our homes,” he says. “We want to bring our cities more into a natural cycle with the environment.”

In a carbon-aware world, most people know that steel production is energy-hungry, but the lesser known but much bigger villain is cement.

Producing a ton of cement sucks in the energy equivalent of more than 180 kilograms of carbon-heavy coal. A necessary chemical reaction in the process also produces huge amounts of CO2 so overall, nearly a ton of CO2 enters the atmosphere.

To understand the implications, consider that cement is the second most used substance on Earth after water, and if the cement industry was a country, it would be the world’s third largest emitter.

This makes cement a problem.

Wood could be part of a solution.

“We do require shelter,” says Evans. “So why not make our shelters beautiful and generous and connected and harmonious with nature?”

While Evans wants to see the substance of future cities change dramatically, those cities may not look all that different.

Based on physics, there is no reason why a wooden building can’t be a skyscraper. In fact, a word already exists for it; plyscraper.

In Norway, there is an 18-storey wooden hotel, and the Sumitomo Forestry company 10

■■ Jonathan Evans sitting in the stairwell of Daramu House. Very few modern buildings have all-

wood stairwells.

PHOTO: © The University of Sydney / Louise M Cooper

in Japan, plans to celebrate a future anniversary by building a 70 storey all-wood building in Tokyo; a true vote of confidence in the robustness of wood, considering Japan’s seismic disposition.

Evans is dubious about some of the other more show-pony projects being announced internationally.

“

the points of ground contact, preventing termites and damp rising into the wood.

And for those concerned by the fire risk, it’s a question Evans has answered often.

“We went through every challenge that timber might present,” he says. “The CSIRO and others have tested the burn rate of the timber, and

We do require shelter, so why not make our shelters beautiful and generous and connected and harmonious with nature?

“It can be green-spin,” he says. But in terms of industry world best practice, Evans’ Barangaroo buildings, International House Sydney and Daramu House stand as multiaward winning examples.

The Barangaroo locals probably noticed how different those sites were from their steel and concrete counterparts. With fewer concrete truck deliveries and mixers, they were certainly quieter. The only concrete used is for plinths which are

around or being worked on, and nearly no waste.

Construction also happened more quickly. Piecing together pre-cut building elements is faster than mixing, forming and reinforcing wet concrete, then waiting for it to dry and achieve strength.

Are the elements of a wooden building more expensive than concrete and steel? Yes. Is wood construction more expensive?

It’s actually possible to build more cheaply by maximising the benefits of pre-fabrication.

“You can get off-site three months quicker. That’s a lot of money saved there,” says Evans. “Not putting in ceilings and wall finishes because wood is an attractive feature, is another cost and material saving.”

At the centre of this work, is engineered wood. It exists in a number of forms, but Evans used two types for the Barangaroo project; Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) and glue laminated timber (Glulam).

They were produced in a largely automated factory in Austria, where CLT was invented in the 1980s.

ultimately, the building needs to achieve the same fire performance as any other form of construction. NSW Fire and Rescue were given all the available testing data and analysis and gave the project their tick of approval.”

Since the wooden elements were delivered precisely precut, there was less noisy onsite drilling and cutting. The First published in the Unisites were also tidier and less hazardous because there were versity of Sydney Alumni no piles of raw materials sitting Magazine (SAM).

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER February 2020

BRIEFS Two top brands join forces CENTRAL Boiler Companies, the parent company of Central Boiler Inc., a leading North American manufacturer of outdoor wood and wood pellet furnaces, has announced that it has acquired the WoodMaster brand of outdoor furnaces. Central Boiler has formed an affiliate named WoodMaster, Inc. and plans to continue to grow the WoodMaster brand. This acquisition brings two iconic names in the outdoor wood furnace industry together, each benefiting from the economies of scale that will be achieved through increased purchasing power, reduced costs, lower overhead and more efficient distribution. Central Boiler and WoodMaster have a complementary network of dealers primarily in the United States and Canada and distributors in select markets outside North America.

Plywood production begins KRONOSPAN has announced that it has commenced plywood production at its Smorgon plant in Belarus. The development was described by Kronospan as an important milestone in its history and “reflects the company’s strong commitment to fulfilling the needs of its customers.” The product joins the Kronobuild portfolio of panel products. The plant is producing four different grades of softwood plywood that differ in their application, quality and colour of their decorative surface. It is available in 9-40mm thicknesses in six different boards’ dimensions. Applications include furniture and wall panelling to demanding exterior constructions and formwork.

European giants merge The Saviola Group (Italy) and Nolte Holzwekstoff Gmbh & Co, Kg (Germany) have agreed to merge. The Saviola Group is the leading particleboard company in Italy and one of the world’s most significant wood recyclers with 13 plants and more than 1500 employees. Nolte Holzwerkstoff is the oldest family-owned particleboard manufacturer in the world, producing particleboard for 69 years. The merger is aimed at combining the expertise of two large companies to develop a new approach that combines design, circular economy and sustainability at Nolte Holzwerkstoff’s Germersheim plant.

www.timberbiz.com.au

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timber construction

WoodSolutions Campus expands in construction and design W OODSOLUTIONS Campus has expanded its impressive suite of online timber education courses with the addition of seven specially developed timber flooring modules.

The new resources will help the construction and design industries to work more confidently when installing timber flooring, with the ultimate goal being increased uptake of timber for this purpose.

WoodSolutions Campus is part of a collaboration with the University of Tasmania, providing free online timber education.

Developed in partnership with the Australasian Timber Flooring Association (ATFA),

the latest course, Flooring Training Modules, aims to ensure the appropriate and successful use of timber in flooring scenarios.

Randy Flierman, CEO at ATFA, said that while timber is a popular flooring choice, education is required to guarantee the maximisation of physical and aesthetic benefits.

“Timber flooring can be a beautiful, enduring asset for homes, workplaces, sporting venues and other locations.

However, to get the best out of wood as a flooring material, it is essential that it is correctly installed and maintained,” Mr Flierman said.

Eileen Newbury, Program Manager of WoodSolutions

and National Marketing and Communications Manager at FWPA, said WoodSolutions Campus has developed a strong reputation amongst the construction supply chain, design and build industry as the go-to for timber education.

“We are delighted to have added another important aspect of timber construction to our ever-expanding and increasingly popular suite of resources,” Ms Newbury said.

Throughout the seven modules of the new course, participants will learn about the properties of various types of timber flooring and how each should be installed. The importance of preparation before installation and how features

of the site can affect the flooring will also be covered.

The course comprises a combination of video lectures and tutorial questions that will test the knowledge of participants.

The WoodSolutions Campus program was initially developed in response to a perceived lack of knowledge about the nature and performance of wood and wood products. There was a recognition by the industry that sales opportunities may be restricted by this lack of knowledge, and customer dissatisfaction could result where inappropriate products were selected, recommended or supplied.

Since launching, the WoodSolutions Campus courses

have been very well received.

During the previous financial year alone, there were 251 enrolments across all courses, from a variety of professions, including education, trade, built environment, industry and sales.

Alongside the new Flooring Training Modules, various other subject areas are on offer, including mid-rise timber construction, building regulations, timber inspection, managing moisture, designing for durability, designing for bushfire, environmental characteristics and more.

All WoodSolutions Campus resources can be accessed for free at www.woodsolutions. com.au/campus

In Absence shows off Tassie Timber THE annual architecture commission at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) is unique in Australia and highly prestigious.

It is a blind competition with an open brief, providing freedom to architects and architecture students from across Australia to test their submissions on merit alone – letting their ideas and creativity with materials and design compete on a level playing field. The resulting structure is on exhibit for six months. In Absence, the 2019 installation, supported

by Tasmanian Timber, officially launched November 26th.

In 2019, the fifth year of the installation, there were over 100 submissions. The submissions are judged by a heavy weight group of the country’s leading architects and exhibition professionals.

Edition Office, a practice that was founded just three years ago, in collaboration with Nukunu and Kokatha woman and artist Yhonnie Scarce, was the 2019 winner. Director Kim Bridgland says it is an honour.

Over the next 6-months, the structure will facilitate lectures, panel discussions, storytelling and culture and knowledge sharing.

“It was incredibly important to us to use home grown material and we wanted to use Eucalypt. The timber is rough sawn and raw, and stained black. The circular form and texture of the slender boards feels like the skin of a large tree,” says Kim. Tasmanian Oak Classic Grade was used, which is 12

highly regarded for internal applications but is often overlooked as an external timber, but when coated and maintained correctly it is a great locally sourced choice for this application.

In addition to the Classic Tas Oak, Tasmania Celery Top Pine, which is an incredibly durable timber, was used for the corners/points within the structure.

“From the two inner chambers, the only view of is of the sky. Light shines downs through the two chambers, shifting as the sun moves through the day. When you are 9 meters below it is very evocative.”

To help bring the project to fruition within the set budget, Tasmanian Timber donated materials and provided financial support.

“We are so thankful to Tasmanian Timber for getting behind the project,” says Kim. Using timber in their projects is incredibly important to Edition Office. As a practice, they are committed to carbon neutral design, so they select their materials very carefully and source locally as much as possible. “We work with detailed data sets created by the University of Melbourne which maps the lifecycle of every building material from its origin to the construction site. We quantify the carbon footprint of the structure while designing it and provide our clients with a report and details on how to offset any carbon through tree planting.”

■■ Aaron Roberts, Director, Edition Office,

Yhonnie Scarce, contemporary artist and Kim Bridgland, Director, Edition Office inside In Absence.

Photo: Eugene Hyland

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER February 2020

www.timberbiz.com.au

building regulations

Hands up those who have heard of the PPSA? Paul Kiely ATFA Senior Inspector & ATFA Past President

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f you haven’t, you’re in good company as statistics indicate that only 1 in 20 claim to have heard of it, and that person usually can’t accurately recite the precise meaning of the letters.

So what is the PPSA? PPSA stands for Personal Property Securities Act, a Commonwealth Government Act that was enacted in 2009 and commenced operation at the start of 2012.

The Act is supported by an on-line registration system known as the PPSR. The registration system identifies an interest in tangible assets supplied under contract, which when correctly documented and registered, provides the supplier of physical, tangible and intangible products a level of protection (in the event of insolvency) against current and future assets of company or entity to the contract.

So how can the PPSA assist our industry? The PPSA essentially replaces the ROT (Retention of Title) which usually took the form of a simple statement on the bottom of an invoice stating that “title of the goods supplied will only pass to the purchaser on full payment for the goods”, or words to that effect.

The ROT statement no longer protects a supplier in the event of insolvency, only a correctly documented and registered PPSA will secure title to goods or services supplied.

Having explained all that, I’m sure that I know your next question! How can one take back goods that have been installed? Well of course this is impossible. However, in the case of an insolvency involving a builder, a correctly documented PPSR does provide an avenue to claim payment directly from a third party or project principal, providing payment for your goods or service has not been rendered to the builder.

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER February 2020

Anecdotal evidence indicates that progress payments to builders frequently lag an installation service by approximately two months, and in such circumstances where payment for your service has not been paid at the point of an insolvency declaration, you will retain a legal claim on the principal.

A PPSR is particularly beneficial if you are contracted to a client on a regular basis, as a correctly documented and registered PPSR will remain enforceable on current and future assets for several years (not just on a specific project). Registration is cheap (about $8), however the key to security of title rests in the accuracy of documentation, and if your exposure is significant, seeking professional assistance in implementing a registration may be worth considering (the cost for professional assistance will vary depending on the complexity of the registration).

Precedent established from Australian court decisions suggest that the level of security in a PPSR is found in the accuracy of the documentation as incorrect PPSR’s have been responsible for title being rejected. There is also a legal requirement that you notify your client that you will be exercising your right to register a PPSA interest. However, this can simply take the form of a correctly worded statement similar to the old ROT on the bottom of your invoice.

So now you are familiar with PPSA’s and PPSR’s, do you think they are worth the effort? I definitely think they are.

For more information, to become a member of the ATFA, or for more information contact the ATFA on 1300 361 693.

13

builder profile

■■ An artists’ vision of the City of Greater Geelong’s $200m central administration office project and, below, the court yard for the project.

CLOS is on the move with expansion and a major civic project T HINGS seem to moving

very quickly for a new processing and offsite manufacturing factory at Avalon Airport’s new industrial precinct near Geelong.

From a start-up in 2017, CLOS - Cross Laminated Offsite Solutions – is now involved in construction from houses to major civic buildings.

And the company is now in the final stages of finalising the purchase of one of Victoria’s major engineered timber design and manufacturing specialist companies, Timberbuilt Solutions.

CLOS managing Director John Fitzgibbon said he sees his company as an opportunity to complement and enhance the existing supply chain for timber offsite solutions.

“I set up the company in 2017 but I was still working with a major builder at the time,’’ he said.

At the start of 2018 he started employing people and “had the foot flat to the floor” and by early last year was open for business.

His background is in construction having worked with tier 1 and 2 builders so he knows the company knows construction.

“We are doing lightweight projects – such as lightweight closed wall frames with roof cassettes and floor cassettes,’’ John said.

“We’ve got lightweight apartments which are all open or closed wall panels with roof cassettes and floor cassettes.

“We do as much as we can offsite.

“We adopt the methodology of doing as much as we can do inside the factory.

“We get involved in the very early stages. The developers are coming to us with concepts, and 14

sometimes even before the architect has come on board.’’

They have a budget in mind or a return on investment they want to achieve. We determine the types of materials suitable to the construction methodology and their price point CLOS manufactures and assembles the frames in the factory.

“At the moment some of the components are manufactured elsewhere and we provide the value add process in our facility,” John said.

“As much as possible we want to reduce the amount of on-site time.’’

The company is open to any and all CLT and Glulam suppliers, pending supply chain Supply and Demand.

John wants to be in a position to have everything prefabricated and deliver everything assembled on-site.

“That’s the mantra, I guess,’’ he said.

“We want to be involved in bathroom pods, we want to involved in kitchenettes.

“We want to be involved in anything we can possibly think of that we can do off-site.”

That strategy makes it cheaper for the end user.

“Some people don’t know what they want,” John said. “Prefabrication has often been associated with kit homes and the like. It’s much bigger than that.’’

Developers have heard of prefabrication, they have heard of CLT, and some don’t know what they really want.

“We are advising clients to use the right material for the right application.

“And when you do that, yes it is cheaper, yes it’s more cost effective and yes it’s faster,’’ he said.

“And there’s less waste, and less time on site.

“That’s where the risk is; the inclement weather and the unknowns when you get on the site.’’

The design and construction methodology needs to be worked out before getting on site.

Initial expectations that 10 people would be employed by now have been delayed with six employed at present and four more being sought.

But expansion is on the way.

“I’m in the process of buying Timberbuilt Solutions,” John said.

Timberbuilt Solutions, at Hallam in south eastern Melbourne, recently featured as the fabricator in the award-winning Pingelly Recreation and Cultural Centre at last year’s Australian Timber Design Awards.

It was established by Bruce Hutchings in 1982 in response to a declining use of timber for commercial scale buildings.

“They do some amazing bespoke timber structures and Bruce has been a major part of the development of LVL in this country,’’ John said.

“It complements our business. I want to maintain it at Hallam and maintain Geelong as an off-site fabrication and advanced manufacturing as well.’’

“The staff at Hallam will be retained and we will focus heavily on a lot of mass timber post and beam structure over there as well as some light structures.

John said CLOS was not aligned to any particular supplier and that would be one of the was a reasons developers liked working with them.

“We’ll tell them exactly where the best product is coming from

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER February 2020

■■ CLOS managing director John Fitzgibbon.

and what supply chain is going to be the most cost-competitive at the time,’’ he said.

“When you can get two or three suppliers bidding for a project and you’ve made it generic enough that that’s the case, then the client wins.’’

When a development is designed with a number of different suppliers in mind, then it makes for a very competitive project.

The work currently is totally varied from a portal framed lowcost house at Cobden - around 130km west of Geelong – to the City of Greater Geelong’s new $200 million central administra-

tive office project which involves 10,000 square metres of mass timber.

In between there are four-level apartments, a 9-level CLT building and a three-level vertical extension on top of a significant heritage building in Geelong.

“We want to be flexible enough that we can say ‘yes’ to a barn, and solid enough to say ‘yes’ to an amazing 10,000 square metre project in mass timber,’’ John said.

“But we aren’t purists in timber.

We love timber, but if a building needs to have a concrete core then put a concrete core in there.’’ www.timberbiz.com.au

NEWS

WoodWorks tracking mass timber’s rise in US building

W

HILE mass timber projects

continue to see a heavier concentration in California, Washington, Oregon, Florida, and Texas, WoodWorks is now tracking 664 mass timber projects in design or construction across the United States, according to the Softwood Lumber Board (SLB).

As of the end of Q3 2019, WoodWorks was aware of 427 projects in which the design team is considering the use of mass timber and 237 mass timber projects that have been constructed.

These early adopters have paved the way for future developers, designers, architects, and builders. With the completion of each mass timber project, the path for additional projects becomes easier to navigate.

WoodWorks has tracked mass tim-

ber projects over the past six quarters and has shown staggering growth.

From Q3 2018 to Q3 2019, the number of projects included - both Construction Started/Built and In Design - has grown by 51%. Overall growth shows a 16% increase each quarter.

The types of buildings and heights that mass timber is being used in is also increasing in variety. During Q3 2019, mass timber multifamily occupancies remain strong at 26%, compared with 11% looking at the same time period in 2018.

While 54% of WoodWorks’ reported projects in the past quarter were three-, four, and five-story multifamily projects, WoodWorks also saw increased project type diversification and conversions in one- and two-story projects in the retail, business, education, and assembly categories. The

continued adoption of mass timber in three- to fivestory construction demonstrates that wood is being used in more places because of WoodWorks’ efforts and due to building types having varying demands for wood structure.

Looking forward to 2020, WoodWorks will continue to evolve its offerings to include a variation of WoodWorks’ education topics, programs, and technical solutions. WoodWorks also helps project teams design larger

and taller light wood-frame buildings with innovative building techniques.

Hybrid construction combines lightframe wood construction with structural steel components and concrete podiums. As the adoption of mass timber construction continues to grow, many design teams are turning to a new form of hybrid construction.

Combining light wood framing and mass timber is an excellent way to achieve project design goals that include cost competitiveness.

TAFE students building career with British Columbia tour A GROUP of TAFE NSW Northern Beaches building students has gone global, travelling to British Columbia as part of the Australian Government’s Endeavour Leadership Program.

The ELP is an initiative of the Australian Government to promote research and professional development with Australia’s priority partner countries.

The program provides opportunities for established and emerging leaders to undertake a global education experience within their study, research or professional field.

TAFE NSW Carpentry and Joinery Head Teacher, Dwane Stockini said the tour was an amazing opportunity for TAFE NSW students to visit and learn about how to build energy efficient, environment friendly, healthy and safe homes from some of Canada’s finest builders.

“Every day presented new challenges to the students understanding of building for our future. They learnt about respecting building materials and the importance of sustainability in construction from the Lil’wat and Squamish First Nations people,” he said.

Throughout the trip the students visited a range of businesses, institutes and construction sites, including the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT), where they learnt about High Performance Building and Zero Energy Construction from one of Canada’s leading trainers in this field, Alexandre Hebert.

“The impact this opportunity has had on these guys is tremendous. It’s very encouraging to know that this young team of men from TAFE NSW, our future builders, are moving in such a positive way to protect our environment at the same time as building high performing, ultra-low energy homes,” Mr Stokini said.

Jacob Heckenberg who is studying a Certificate IV in Building and Construction at TAFE NSW Northern Beaches said the study tour to Canada was an amazing experience.

“The trip showed how progressive countries are when it comes to building performance,’’ he said.

“I believe passive design is the next step in building so it was great to experience it first hand from some of the world’s best.

“Seeing and understanding how passive design works from this trip, will really give me a competitive edge in the industry.”

Booking open for prefabAUS 2020 in Melbourne REGISTRATIONS are now open for the 2020 prefabAUS conference in Melbourne The 2020 Conference theme - Offsite: Building blocks for a sustainable future – will explore the offsite construction sector’s important role in bringing about a sustainable future.

Prefabrication and modular solutions are already delivering superior waste, quality, energy efficiency and safety outcomes across private and public projects.

Yet despite the impressive results that have already been achieved, the untapped benefits that would flow from increased www.timberbiz.com.au

take-up of offsite construction are many times greater.

This year’s conference Site Visit Program will be held on September 14 (the day preceding the Conference).

The official 2020 networking function is the feature social event of the Conference, and the perfect place to rub shoulders with some of the biggest names in prefabrication and offsite construction.

Tickets to the networking function are at a modest additional cost to the Conference ticket, and places are strictly limited.

The conference, at Deakin Edge in Federation Square in Melbourne, will start on September 14 and run until September 16.

Skills, Knowledge, Performance

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AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER February 2020

For Course Programs

03 5345 2018 www.timbertrainingcreswick.com.au RTO ID 4168

15

innovations

Timber midrise creating demand for skills

T

HE increasing use of tim-

ber building systems in mid-rise construction is creating a demand for engineering and design professionals familiar with their requirements.

The new WoodSolutions Technical Design Guide, Midrise Timber Building Structural Engineering has been written to address this need by providing structural engineers with the information they require to confidently design a mid-rise timber building.

Mid-rise buildings, effectively those three to eight storeys,

have recently experienced a surge in the use of timber systems – both traditional stick framing and newer mass timber options, or a combination of both.

This market movement has been facilitated by changes to the National Construction Code that now allow Deemed to Satisfy timber solutions in all building classes and driven by the commercial and environmental advantages of timber systems.

With more developers and design teams looking to examine timber construction options, the need for suitably

skilled professionals who can specify and optimise them is on the rise.

One of the most important roles in the project team is the structural engineer, as they usually have the final say in which structural material is used in a project.

The new WoodSolutions Technical Design Guide, Midrise Timber Building Structural Engineering has been written to give structural engineers the latest state-of-the-art design information so they can confidently design a mid-rise timber building.

The 200+ page guide has two parts. The first part includes an overview of the typical structural design process for a mid-rise timber building, and more detailed explanations, considerations and assumptions for specific structural element design.

The second part of the guide comprises of appendices with detailed worked examples of the design process for major structural building elements.

Included in the first version of the guide are: Appendix 1: Worked Ex-

ample for a Timber-framed Apartment Building, and Appendix 2: Worked Example for a CLT Mass Timber Apartment Building “Two years in the making, this comprehensive new guide is set to become an invaluable resource for structural engineers and will enable more projects to take advantage of the many advantages of timber building systems,” said Eileen Newbury, National Program Manager WoodSolutions.

The new guide and appendices are available from www.woodsolutions.com

Tiny House build a result of big ideas On the grounds of The University of Queensland (UQ), near the Advanced Engineering Building, there is a Tiny House on display until the end of February 2020. This house was erected to demonstrate 3E panels which was invented from a collaborative research project on hybrid FRPtimber thin-walled structures between UQ, the Queensland State Government Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF), and Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

This complements the ARC Future Timber Hub Project on “The optimisation of wood-based mass-panels for Australian building systems”.

3e panels, a start-up company in which UQ is a shareholder, is an efficient solution for building construction. The panels are a hybrid fibre reinforced polymer (FRP)-timber thin-walled panel system, they are light weight, consist of high strength-to-weight ratio than any other existing panel system, and are made of more than 90% (by volume) timber, thus CO2 negative.

UQ’s Associate Professor Dilum Fernando, who is one of the lead researchers in 3e Panels, shared the reason behind the display, “We wanted to demonstrate how easy it is to build a house using 3E panels. We wanted to demonstrate that a house could be built without using heavy machinery yet very fast. The Tiny House also intended to demonstrate the connection system, which is a key in fast assembly of the panel. The whole house was built by students and myself, without any prior hands on experience on house construction.”

By showcasing the Tiny House, which was erected within 7 hours (the house floors and

16

walls in 1.5 hours), the team at UQ have been able to demonstrate: • time savings achieved through 3E panels; • ability of 3E panels to act as structural members; • a complete pre-fab system with insulation, weather proofing membranes, and finishes attached at the factory settings and assembled on-site; • the low-cost on-site assembly.

Associate Professor Fernando further explained, “While 3E panels are intended as highquality, high performance product, the fabrication process we adopted for this project was a labour-intensive fabrication process with minimal use of machinery and use of un-skilled labour. Through this we wanted to demonstrate that, 3E panels could also be used for low-cost housing with community-based construction. If the materials, and moulds for panel construction are supplied, even without pre-skills on construction/fabrication anyone in the community will be able to fabricate 3E panels to a good quality. This could lead to community based low-cost house construction projects.”

The Tiny House project was funded by 3E panels. DAF also played a key role in providing assistance with manufacturing and providing advice on adhesive selection, manufacturing methods etc. In addition, Baber Studio assisted the project with Architectural design. Rothoblaas were also able to provide screws and connector systems at a lower cost.

The Tiny House will be on display until the end of February.

■■ The Tiny House under construction and, below, the finished

product.

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER February 2020

www.timberbiz.com.au

training

Qualifications and occupational outcomes in the workplace H AVE you ever wondered

what are the right qualifications for the job roles in your business?

In forest industries the answers can be found in the Companion Volume of the Forest and Wood Products Training Package.

The Occupational Outcomes chart shows which qualifications are appropriate to the staff structure in your business. You can then advertise for qualified staff, or organise work based training to ensure your staff are appropriately qualified.

Workforce based training options can include:

Skills recognition via Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) or assessment only pathways Structured training and assessment via traineeship or existing worker pathways.

A combination of the above tailored to the individual’s work role.

If you are looking for a career in forest industries or a change of careers this chart shows you the relevant qualification(s) you need to land the job you want. The next step is to locate a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) that delivers the qualification you require and make enquiries about the course.

Serving independent timber and

Pre-employment training options can include short courses, skill sets or whole qualifications depending on the RTO. You can locate RTOs delivering the qualifications you need by accessing the national register of vocational education and training at the website www.training.gov.au and then searching for the qualification title. A list of organisations delivering that qualification in your region will then be displayed.

Not all RTO’s deliver all qualifications. Each RTO must have appropriately trained and experienced staff to be able to deliver the qualification you

are interested in. Different RTO’s offering the same qualification may have different training delivery models. It is important you ask them about the following things: Class based training: How many blocks of learning and how long is each block? Is there any on the job learning that needs to occur between class blocks? How can learners get to and from the classes?

Work based training: How many contacts can I expect for the duration of the learning? How will I know what dates the trainers will be at my site? How long will the trainer spend with each person each

Legal and HR

visit? What contingency arrangements can be implemented? If the work site has two or more shifts then what will be needed for the learners to access the trainer?

On line learning: How and when can tutorials be accessed? What support is available for learners who may be having trouble with the content or computer operation? Is there a cut off time for completion? What if the learner hasn’t finished by that date?

Asking these questions will help you evaluate which RTO can offer you the best learning options for the course you require.

Timber Advisory Service

hardware businesses by providing valuable back of house services...

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Training

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER February 2020

Member Benefits

Advocacy

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associations

New vision, new strategic plan for industry dean brackell

B

and promoting a stronger Australian cabinet and furniture industry’.

The above comment forms the new vision statement for the Australian Cabinet and Furniture Association (ACFA).

It has been just over 12 months since the merger took place between the CMDA and FIAA to form the new entity, ACFA. The newly elected Board of Directors have finalised the strategic plan and priorities for the next three years. With any plan, a degree of flexibility has been built-in so as to allow to meet the everchanging needs of the members.

Promote – Our members and our industry Over the next 12 months will see a full ‘Connect Event’ program being rolled out across all states and territories throughout Australia. These will be great networking opportunities for all businesses to attend. Along with the Connect events, ACFA member and training services will be rolled out nationally with a focus on building capabilities in the sector. As new technologies emerge, it will be important to ensure that we build the necessary skills and capabilities so as to future proof the industry.

Provide – Support services to our members As a provider of training to the sector, ACFA cannot do it alone, and we will work and collaborate with all private training providers and especially TAFEs around Australia, so as to assist in building future capabilities for the sector. A small step but a giant one in this collaboration model has already been demonstrated with Allied Timber Trades section at Lidcombe TAFE in NSW, partnering with ACFA in the Industry Specialist Mentoring Australian Apprentices (ISMAA, Federal Government funded program), with over 40 TAFE attending apprentices accessing mentor-

BY iNdUSTRY FOR iNdUSTRY

The association for furnishing, joinery cabinetmakeing, kitchen and bathroom industries

uilding

ing services provided by ACFA, with the same model adopted by Tonsley TAFE in South Australia. There is a huge cost to the economy when apprentices drop out prior to completion. The final retention rate in the ISMAA program stands at 77.92%, well above the program target of 75%. Higher apprentice completion rates will assist in filling the ever-present skill shortage in our sector.

Protect – The interests of our members Advocacy work is a high priority for ACFA, and we will look at harmonising national standards, the disparity of home building contracts across the country and encourage governments both state and federal for funded programs targeted to your industry. Other important areas affecting all members include Education & Training, Energy, Workplace Relations and Work Health & Safety.

And don’t forget to help us celebrate the achievements of the industry and enter into and attend the annual ACFA Industry Awards program, held on September 19 in Sydney this year. The awards program is open to everyone in the sector to enter, and a great opportunity to network with your peers, and be inspired by the great work created by our talented manufacturers and designers. Last years’ major prize for the Cabinetmaker of the year won a trip to EuroCucina 2020 in Milan, Italy!

There is still much more to do, and if you are not a member of the Australian Cabinet and Furniture Association and you’re interested to join, or interested in entering the 2020 Awards program, please visit the website www.acfa.net. au or ring the team on 1300 342 248.

SUBSCRIBE TODAY sign up at www.timberbiz.com.au

Join ACFA to: • reduce risks to your business • save time and money Members Benefits:

• 24/7 access to business resources via ACFA website - acfa.net.au • unlimited advice on industry awards* • access to industry specific policies, checklists and fact sheets* • Discounted rates for NSW, VIC, SA Building Contracts *subject to membership category

Join online today at www.acfa.net.au

For further information 1300 342 248 or membership@acfa.net.au PROTECT

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PROmOTE

PROvidE

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER February 2020

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Surplus To Requirements

4 x sets of Kennedy B Double Folding Tri Tri Logging Trailers complete with scales and headboards ready to fit to your truck. $70 000 + GST PER SET

1 x Kenworth T909 with Kennedy B double Tri Tri Logging Trailers approx 505 000km $280 000 + GST

1 x Tigercat 860 Feller-buncher with Tigercat disc saw. 14 003 HRS $150 000 +GST

1x Komatsu PC400 Track Drive Motors approx.

6000 hrs.

2 x Single Tri Axle Logging Trailers 1 Elphinstone 1 Evens $20 000 + GST each 1 x Tigercat 870 Feller-buncher with Tigercat disc saw. 11 464 HRS $180 000 + GST

4 x Komatsu PC270/8 Harvesters fitted with Waratah 623 harvesting heads – 15 881 HRs, 15 871 hrs, 10 333 hrs and 11484 hrs.

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2 x Komatsu PC350LL Purpose Built Log Loaders – full logging package built by Pierce.

22478 hrs and 24328hrs $150 000 + GST

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Serious buyers only to contact 0412 613 520

associations FRAME & TRUSS MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA

FTMA Australia is an independent, national organisation representing fabricators of and suppliers to the timber prefabricated truss and wall frame industry in all Australian states & territories providing a unified voice, to protect and advance our mult-billion dollar industry.

■■ AKD staff unloading salvaged fire-affected timber.

Knee-jerk response to fires must be avoided T fires burning across the country since last October have no doubt had a big impact on our industry and the industry is coming together, united in its response to addressing the fires, both in native forests and plantations. It is important that there are no knee jerk reactions and unfortunately it has already been reported that ‘other’ product suppliers are trying to use this disaster as a way to undermine the timber frame and truss market.

It may be still too early to know the exact damage these fires will have on our industry, however Christine Briggs of AKD Softwoods pointed out that there is an ability for the domestic softwood industry to lift structural output based on data from FWPA. “I believe the domestic softwood industry can lift structural output by approx. 15% from last year’s run rates and some data to support this is that FWPA industry sales of structural from domestic producers was running at 1,596,000m3 actual year ending October 2018 and for year ending September 2019 was at 1,375,000m3 so I believe there is an ability for our domestic industry to lift structural output in the order of 220,000m3 p.a. this year.”

I have spoken with Vida Wood and Stora Enso as well as other importers who are not only concerned for the wellbeing of timber communities but are also reassuring us, that they are there to assist us in the future.

John Halkett of Australian Timber Importers Federation (ATIF), stated that it is the medium and longer-term prospects of domestic supply which are likely to be diminished as there actually may well be an initial spike in production because of log salvage. Therefore

FTMA Australia thanks our dedicated supporters and encourages you to support those who support your industry

HE huge

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GOLD SPONSORS

“We support you!”

By Kersten Gentle Executive Officer FTMA Australia

it is important that the industry work together and plan ahead to ensure we do not struggle with a timber shortage.

Kurt Schrammel of VIDA Wood expressed the importance of getting the message out there that “timber is a safe and environmentally friendly building material – now and even more so in the future.”

Kurt also informed us that his colleagues from VIDA Wood’s Swedish and Canadian mills were visiting Australia to see how they can support and assist in the coming months.

So the answer to the question, Is resource going to become a problem, is NO! Definitely not in the short term and by working with Australian Producers and importers in the long term, as FTMA Australia always does, we believe our industry has a strong future a head.

Open letter to the Hyne & AKD Softwood Teams I felt compelled to write to you both to congratulate you on a job well done for teams at AKD Tumut and Hyne Tumbarumba who I understand started their operations today and are now back to full production. This morning I was extremely pleased to receive photos below showing one of the first loads of logs arriving, the debarking process happening and the AKD team going through their Safe-Start up morning meeting before commencing work for the year.

This is so reassuring for our industry to see as people have

been concerned about what happen next and both AKD & Hyne have shown exactly what is happening next and that is full production. Well done.

There are plenty of negative stories merging from the Bushfire Crisis, but at the same time there are plenty of positive ones, stories of endurance, resilience, teamwork and community spirit and the story of how AKD & Hyne have worked throughout this disaster putting their people before profits, is in my eyes, one of those amazingly positive stories. To support your employees by providing full wages during the emergency whilst employees fought fires, protected their houses and their mills is beyond what anyone would have expected.

Unfortunately, I understand that some of your employees lost their houses, and some of the surrounding farmlands, bushland and plantations have also been damaged. However, as we know and as we have seen before, these communities and local businesses will bounce back strongly.

I think it is important to show support for your local communities and also to educate the supply chain in the salvage harvesting operations as many do not understand how much wood can be processed and how it happens so I think this is a good opportunity to bring the frame and truss sectors together to educate on the resource issues whilst showing support and appreciation to those in the field.

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER February 2020

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BRONZE SPONSORS

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L I F T I N G I N N O VAT I O N

Australasia

For a full list of the conditions of membership and a downloadable application form visit: www.ftmaaustralia.com.au www.timberbiz.com.au

associations

Recovery package must be targeted T HE previous year end-

ed, and the current has begun in less than ideal circumstances for those with lives invested in the timber products industry in this country. Significant swathes of forest resource have been burnt on the east coast and other regions. In fact, some figures already available point to a loss of resource both native and plantation on the north coast of NSW to be in excess of 40%.

For other areas, like the South West Slopes, South Coast of NSW or East Gippsland, it’s impossible to assess at the time of writing as access is still very limited due to continuing fires and road closures.

Many business owners, including TTIA Members, have been affected directly through fire damage and are now facing uncertainty about their future access to what resource remains.

These businesses have financial obligations to service on plant, equipment, vehicles and wages with no income flow.

Costs relating to redundancies may result from limited access allowed by the government and its agencies to resource and salvage operations. For the record, few employers have had the luxury of having business interruption insurance.

At the time of writing, access to the forest resources, for example in NSW, has been suspended and fires are still burning in many areas. The only glimmer of hope at present is the weather forecast is for some milder conditions and we all hope that the worst of the destruction and danger to lives and property is on a downward trajectory. It is then up to the government and its agencies to give smooth and swift access to salvage operations and access to unaffected areas.

The Federal and State Governments have promised a recovery package and it is the role of forest industry leaders to emphasise that this money needs to be targeted to help

www.timberbiz.com.au

by the bushfires are encouraged to seek more information about the range of assistance measures, grants and support resources available.

This Federal Government resource may be helpful in providing information relevant at a national level.

Brian Beecroft The Disaster Welfare AssisChief Executive Officer tance Line is available on 1800 TTIA 018 444 for more information on personal hardship and disrebuild and reconstruct our wishes and positive thoughts tress assistance. industry and its businesses, for those affected by this preand not just funds to be used dicament is understandable Disaster Recovery as compensation to close the and needed, but the submis- Toolkit As thoughts begin to turn sion by Timber NSW to the govindustry.

The funds for instance need to ernment on highlighting the to the road ahead, the Enbe provide financial assistance crisis we face, and the urgent trepreneurs’ Programme has for harvesting or milling equip- necessary recovery steps for assisted CPA Australia with ment damaged in fire affected recovery is vital. Timber NSW a Disaster Recovery Toolkit. areas. Many Members advised are to be commended for their This resource provides a series me that they had equipment efforts on behalf of the forest of templates and checklists to provide a considered aptrapped in the bush when fires products industry.

In the meantime, the TTIA proach to immediate actions, literally travelled over 100 kms in a night, and they simply Employers Hotline (02 9264 recovery plans and long term didn’t have time to move valua- 0011) is available to advise recovery for business owners.

The toolkit can be found at ble equipment and machinery. businesses on their legal poFor many at that point, all that sition with respect to shorter https://www.cpaaustralia. was left for them to do was to working weeks, stand downs com.au/professional-resourcand redundancy requirements es/business-management/ defend their homes. business-recovery/disasterFinancial assistance should during this period.

TTIA issued Member advice recovery-toolkit also be provided to meet future increased insurance premiums, prior to Christmas on the leas well as finance for business gal position relating to Mem- Health and Wellbeing Please ensure that your to meet existing loans and bers unable to operate due to commitments until the income adverse weather conditions/ mental health and wellbeing bushfires, or where staff are un- and that of those around you can begin to flow again.

There also needs to be sig- able to attend work due to road remains a priority throughnificant funding for a massive closures. Call the TTIA office if out this challenging time. If forest regeneration program you need that information re- you’re feeling distressed, anxious or overwhelmed, please and fast, to guarantee a bright sent to your business.

In addition, there is also spe- seek professional support. future for the industry.

Free telephone support is This type of government fi- cific financial government asnancial assistance is needed sistance available for employ- available 24 hours a day, 7 immediately as these massive ers affected by the bushfire days a week from: • NSW Mental Health bushfires have impacted on crisis and at TTIA we can also Line 1800 011 511 the whole forest/timber supply guide you in the right direc• Lifeline 13 11 14 chain as well as regional towns tion. For more information and • Beyond Blue 1300 224 dependent on the forest prod- ongoing updates regarding the 636 ucts industry. It needs to be NSW Bushfire emergency, visit: After many years at TTIA, you • NSW Fire Services: www. swift and targeted. rfs.nsw.gov.au and www. can’t help but be impressed TTIA is pleased to have had by the resilience, humour and fire.nsw.gov.au some input into this recovery courage in adversity displayed • Twitter: @NSWRFS process and will continue to • NSW Bushfire information by people in our industry durcontribute where possible. I ing tough times. Many have line: 1800 679 737 also need to make special been bravely in the frontline mention of the positive indusfighting fires with the use of try representation Maree Mc- Bushfire Recovery industry plant and equipment.

Caskill, CEO of Timber NSW, is Assistance The situation we find ourThose businesses affected making to government. Well AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER February 2020

selves at the beginning of 2020 is one of the toughest I can recall. Immediate Government action on industry recommendations for recovery combined with the courage and resilience that resides in every person that works in this unique industry should ensure we get back on our feet sooner rather than later.

Please call me anytime in the office during or outside business hours or ask for my mobile to discuss how TTIA can help now.

Vale Jim Morton It is with great sadness that I advise the passing of Jim Morton, the Senior Safety Officer with TTIA’s Workplace Health and Safety unit for over 15 years, commencing his employment with TTIA in 1994.

Prior to joining TTIA, Jim previously worked as the last Manager of the Cockatoo Dockyard Sydney which refitted navy ships.

Jim was proof that when one career ends another begins and worked well into his 70’s. Jim was well known and liked by TTIA Members and the industry generally as one of the most knowledgeable and practical safety experts in the country.

Jim prepared and represented many TTIA Members in cases before the Chief Industrial Magistrate at the time and was considered highly by the Court as the industry safety expert.

Jim was equally popular with staff, always positive and encouraging to the younger members of the team.

I personally travelled on many regional trips with Jim, sharing a role running TTIA Member seminars and enjoyed every story and snippets of wisdom I could harness from his vast experience.

On behalf of TTIA staff, Councillors and Jim’s many industry friends, I pay condolences to his lovely wife Faye and his four children.

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associations

Finish the job the right way T he Timber Veneer As-

sociation’s Info line has had several calls lately about the correct procedure to follow when staining veneer.

Generally speaking it shouldn’t be any more difficult than staining the equivalent solid timber, but rushing into the job can result in a disappointing outcome. It’s also worth thinking about selecting a veneer with the desired natural colour, rather than trying to achieve a different colour by staining. After all, a myriad of natural colours are available which only need a clear coat for protection.

If it’s particularly desirable to apply a stain, TVAA always emphasises two things: (1) try out the stain on an offcut or scrap piece first, and (2) remember you can always stain

By Peter Llewellyn Technical Representative, Timber Veneer Association of Australia

darker but you can’t lighten a stained surface.

Some types of veneer (and solid timber) accept a stain more easily than others. Low density species often have patches of grain that are more absorbent than others, resulting in a patchy appearance.

Fast-grown species such as pine also can present problems of over-absorption and “grain reversal”.

Grain reversal occurs when

the stain only penetrates the lighter-coloured, more porous earlywood and can’t penetrate the denser latewood. So instead of the darker latewood being more visually prominent it’s the stained earlywood that stands out. The effect is a bit like a photographic negative.

To overcome problems of patchiness and over-absorption some companies market pre-staining products. For example, Feast Watson has a

Timber Primer which woodworkers have found useful, although it can result in a lighter shade than would be the case if the stain were applied to raw wood.

TVAA suggests looking at woodworker blogs for user feedback on pre-staining products, and we emphasise again the importance of trying out finishes on offcuts, rather than rushing in and possibly spoiling the job.

australasian

Looking Back 2019 A SOON-TO-BE-OPENED Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) processing and offsite manufacturing factory at Avalon Airport’s new industrial precinct has been hailed as a major win for both the City of Geelong and the building industry’s march toward more sustainable methods of construction.

The launch of Cross Laminated Offsite Solutions’ (CLOS) factory would create local jobs, support sustainable development and bring significant potential to grow an advanced manufacturing industry in Geelong,” said Shane Quinn, Executive Chairman of Quintessential Equity, when breaking news of the plans. “Green design is no longer an option, it’s an expectation.’’

2015

Industry has long road ahead MGA TMA - Timber Merchants Australia are the hubs of the towns and cities they trade in. We therefore welcomed the opportunity to be in Canberra during early January to further support and assist members and their families to brave the recovery process that is so desperately needed.

The entire world is in a state of shock after the unprecedented bushfires that have devastated the homes and livelihoods of thousands of Australians. The effects of the recent fires will be felt for a long time into the future and it is vital that those who have suffered as a result of this catastrophe are provided with the support, both financial and emotional, that they need to help them to restore their lives and their future.

MGA TMA Timber Merchants Australia – represented by CEO Jos de Bruin - was invited to Canberra by the Federal Minister for Small Business and Employment - Michaelia Cash, along with Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Treasurer Josh Frydenburg, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Ben Morton and Andrew Colvin, Head of national Bush22

Peak bodies in the room included – The Australian Banking Association, State Chambers and Master Builders Australia together with a number of communities and regional businesses – the depth of consultation was exceptional.

MGA TMA Timber Merchants Australia welcomed the opportunity to be in Canberra, to be part of these important discussions and helping members and their families to brave the recovery process that is so desperately needed. MGA TMA wanted to ensure that members and small business needs are given immediate attention by both Federal and State Governments.

Trade losses have already ■■ Jos de Bruin. been significant and severe employment cuts will have to fire Recovery agency, to attend be made.

There are many issues to be an historic meeting in the PMs Cabinet Room to discuss in de- addressed immediately, that tail, ways to assist members, were discussed in Canberra and all other small business relative to Local Council, State people, who have been af- Government and Federal Govfected by the bushfires around ernment including a few examples: Australia.

Building and compliance The Small Business Ombuds- • fast track approvals man, Kate Carnell, together Local emotional well being with Small Business Commis- • Subsidise power generasioners of Vic, NSW and SA were • tors also present.

•

Waive land tax for 12 months • Help fund immediate building restoration and refurbishment work ready for business • Delay in paying tax – ATO (BAS) • Employment subsidies – to keep staff, working and earning an income We welcome, and are grateful for, the financial support already provided by Governments and all the contributions that have been made by so many members of the public and other organisations to assist in the recovery of thousands of devastated families and businesses.

We have a long road ahead and much work to be done, but are confident that, although the re-building procedure will take time, the industry, our member businesses, their families and employees, will restore their homes and businesses to become even better than before.

Should you require any further MGA TMA member assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us on 1800 888 479 or call (03) 9824 4111.

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER February 2020

WESTERN AUSTRALIA has once again topped the rankings in the HIA bi-annual Housing Scorecard report.

“It remains the strongest residential building market in the country by a healthy margin, ahead of the Northern Territory and New South Wales.

There is daylight between the three strongest states and the rest of the pack,” said Geordan Murray, HIA Economist.

“The Australian Capital Territory took a tumble down the league table sliding from fourth to sixth. Lower levels of activity in multi-unit segment drove the decline, although there were also emerging signs of weakness in the ACT’s detached house building market.’’

2010 AUSTRALIA HAS overtaken the United States to have the largest homes in the world.

While average US home sizes have shrunk for the first time in a decade due to global recession, the average floor space of new Australian homes hit a record high of 214.6 square metres in 2008/09 financial year, according to official data.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data commissioned

by CommSec also showed the average floor area of new freestanding houses was also at a record high - 245.3sqm.

By contrast, the average size of new homes started in the US in the September quarter stood at 201.5sqm. www.timberbiz.com.au

Woodchat

What’s On 16-21 February 2020

Gottstein understanding wood Science Course Albury, Victoria and Canberra, ACT

25-26 February 2020

Structural Design and Mid-Rise CLT and LVL Timber Buildings: two-day workshop Adelaide

17-18 March 2020 ForestTECHX Vancouver, Canada

19-20 March 2020

Takeaways from world congress WoodChat Episode 13

T

HE latest episode of the Forest and

Wood Products Australia WoodChat series of podcasts focuses on the exciting takeaways of FWPA and other Australian representatives who were amongst the 2,500 scientists from 92 countries at the International Union of Forest Research Organizations World Congress.

Listeners will hear directly from attendees who travelled to Brazil for the congress in October. Conversations cover key themes including deforestation and climate change, as well as the willingness amongst attendees to collaborate on a global scale for the benefit of forests everywhere.

Hosts Sam and Georgia spoke to Jodie Mason, Forest Research Manager at FWPA, who was in attendance at this year’s congress, alongside many Australian researchers who presented details of their projects to delegates, many of which were co-funded by FWPA. “It was great to see our home-grown researchers networking in this way, promoting Australian projects, and updating themselves with international best practice,’’ Ms Mason said.

“It was apparent that Australian researchers are well-regarded and well-networked in the global arena.’’

Sharing some of her key takeaways from the event, Ms Mason noted that research

on the impact and mitigation of climate risk was of high priority, both for supporting ecosystem function and commercial forestry.

“The climate adaptation measures presented were assisted migration of natural forest species, and boosting the drought tolerance of plantation species through various measures,” she said.

Continuing on the topic of the climate, Ms Mason said silvicultural practices to improve site conditions were another major area of focus.

These included trials of stump removal to increase moisture retention, and tree spacing when it comes to planting. In addition, Ms Mason highlighted the soil microbiome as another interesting theme.

New Qualifications Proposed for

JOBS IN TIMBER BUILDING PRODUCTS SUPPLY • timber yard/ warehouse assistants

• warehouse and logistics coordinators

• timber yard operators

• transport & dispatch coordinator

• warehouse store persons • warehouse pick & pack staff • forklift drivers

• sales representatives • assistant account managers

• delivery persons

• assistant wholesale buyers

• counter sales officers

• assistant import agents

• customer service officers

• assistant purchasing managers

Have your say by visiting www.forestworks.com.au or call 03 9321 3522 before COB Fri 28 Feb 2020. www.timberbiz.com.au

This area of study looks at how complex microbial activity in soils interacts with tree roots, prompting the transfer of carbon and nutrients from soil to tree, and also between multiple trees.

“Research in this field has great potential applications for nurseries, plantations, natural forests and in laboratories where plantlets are grown, with increased productivity and healthier and more resilient forests being the ultimate goal.”

In the episode, the hosts also interview Professor Rodney Keenan, from the University of Melbourne’s school of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, who attended the event for the seventh time. They discuss how the congress has evolved over the years, key insights on forest restoration and the need for sustainable intensification to meet future demand for timber.

Dr Angus Carnegie, Principal Research Scientist at the NSW Department of Primary Industries’ Science & Research Division, also discusses his presentation of research on the impact of myrtle rust in Australia, as well as new collaborations on invasive pest research with key international experts, which were made possible by his attendance at the congress.

Every four-to-five years, the IUFRO World Congress provides unique opportunities to share evidence-based knowledge across disciplines and continents, to discuss the state of the world’s forests, the challenges and consequences, as well as possible solutions.

This episode is part of the second series of the WoodChat podcast, following topics including how FWPA has joined forces with Australia’s other agriculture and horticulture industries to develop new pest diagnostic technology, how virtual reality is being used to drive forestry into the future, and initiatives to engage the future leaders of the industry.

WoodChat represents FWPA’s ongoing commitment to engaging ways of communicating news and innovations to the industry and beyond. Each episode includes in-depth conversations with experts on recent discoveries and current initiatives.

You can listen to WoodChat on SoundCloud and iTunes.

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER February 2020

International Convention Centre Sydney

26 March 2020

NZ Wood Resene Timber Design Awards Grand Millennium Hotel, Auckland

7-8 April 2020

MobileTECH Ag Rotorua, New Zealand

20-21 May 2020

Forest Industry Safety & Technology Rotorua, New Zealand

27-28 May 2020

Forest Industry Safety & Technology Melbourne, Australia

15 June - 16 June 2020

Timber Offsite Construction Conference (FRAME) Crown Promenade, Melbourne, Victoria.

23 July 2020

Doing Timber Business in Queensland Brisbane Marriot, Queensland.

19-20 August 2020 WoodTECH 2020 Rotorua, New Zealand

24-27 August 2020

World Conference on Timber Engineering Santiago, Chile

25-26 August 2020 WoodTECH 2020 Melbourne, Australia

16-17 September 2020 HarvestTECH 2020 - Wood Transport Melbourne.

4-7 November 2020

AUSTimber, HVP Flynn site, Latrobe City, Victoria

2021 2-5 June 2021

Elmia Wood, Jonkoping To be included in What’s On please send events listings to b.mitchell@ryanmediapl.com.au

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